Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Focused Inspection Project: Powered Mobile Equipment

Transcription

1 Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Focused Inspection Project: Powered Mobile Equipment Inspection data timeframe: February 22, 2011 March 18, 2011 Data for this report includes inspection data up to March 31, 2011.

2 1.0 INTRODUCTION Employment and Immigration (E&I), Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) identified Powered Mobile Equipment as an area for focused inspections in the fiscal year. The purpose of the focused inspections was to raise awareness of specific known workplace hazards, and ensure compliance with the OHS Act, Regulation, and Code. The overall goal was to enhance employers awareness of their responsibility to protect the health and safety of their workers by identifying and controlling known hazards associated with their work. OHS, in consultation with industry, developed a best practice guideline which was previously launched in support of building strong safe work practices for employers whose business involves the operations of a forklift: OVERVIEW OF FOCUSED INSPECTIONS PROJECT Powered Mobile Equipment: Part 19 of the OHS Code Powered mobile equipment is operated across multiple industry sectors to assist in the movement or transport of an employer s materials, equipment, and product as a means of access related to work structures, storage areas, terrain, etc. Powered mobile equipment involves a variety of devices (including forklifts, pallet jacks, all terrain forklifts, and other equipment). For the purposes of this project, all powered mobile equipment used at the employer s sites was the focus of inspection, with particular attention to the operation of forklifts, including the following classes of forklifts: Rough-terrain lift trucks Electric and internal combustion engine tractors Internal combustion engine lift trucks, cushion or pneumatic tires Electric motor narrow aisle trucks Electric motor rider trucks Electric motor driven hand trucks April 11,

3 Inspection Focus OHS Focused Inspections: Powered Mobile Equipment The focused inspections were conducted at work sites where powered mobile equipment was typically used in the employer s operations, and at sites where hazards have been known to exist and where there is a documented known history of Orders issued related to Part 19 of the OHS Code. Inspections were conducted across a number of industry sectors including the following: Industry Code Mobile Equipment Operations Industry Code Steel Metal Fabrication Industry Code Wholesaling Industry Code Machining Industry Code Home Improvement Centers Industry Code Construction Industrial Industry Code Wood Products Manufacturing Industry Code Food Convenience Stores Industry Code Trucking Service, General Industry Code Warehousing Public Industry Code Mobile Equipment Dealers AEI, OHS officers focused their inspections on, but did not limit their inspections to, Part 19 of the OHS Code, including: Operator responsibilities Section 256 Training and competence Section 256 Seat belts and control Sections 256 & 284 Visual inspection Section 257 Danger from movement and securing of materials Section 258 Pedestrian traffic Section 259 Equipment inspection/maintenance Section 260 Maintenance on elevated parts Section 261 Unattended controls Section 263 Lighting Section 264 Windows and windshields Section 265 Other safety equipment Section 266 Warning signals Section 267 Equipment with rollover protection Section 271 Falling objects protective structures Section 272 Load rating chart Section 283 April 11,

4 Officers considered other Sections of the OHS Regulation and the OHS Code that work in conjunction with Part 19 of the Code, including but not limited to: OHS Regulation Part 1 o Section 13 General protection of workers o Section 15 Safety training OHS Code Part 2 o Section 7 Assessing hazards OHS Code Part 3 o Section 12 Appropriate use of equipment and modification of equipment certified Orders were issued for violations related to Part 19 of the OHS Code and for other safety or health violations that were observed at the time of the inspection. During the course of their inspections, officers: Determined compliance with sections of the Alberta OHS Act, Regulation, and Part 19 of the OHS Code. Addressed additional hazards observed during their inspection. If the OHS officer identified an imminent danger, the officer issued a Stop Work or Stop Use Order to the employer as required. Issued a written Client Contact Report to the employer upon completion of the inspection, documenting the results of the officer s observations, and any Orders issued to correct observed deficiencies. Conducted a re-inspection of the work site with the employer to verify compliance with any issued Orders. Ensured the initial inspection report, along with the follow-up re-inspection report, was posted in a conspicuous location readily accessible to the affected workers. April 11,

5 3.0 RESULTS OF INSPECTION ACTIVITY N Number of Inspections This project took place between February 22, 2011, and March 18, 2011, and follow-up inspections continue. From February 22, 2011, a total of 181 initial and follow-up inspections were completed at 87 employers across Alberta. Orders Issued During the powered mobile equipment focused inspection project: Twenty-two (22) inspections resulted in no Orders being issued. Two hundred and fourteen (214) Orders were issued across a number of different industries. Eleven (11) Notice to Produce documents demanding health and safety information be provided were issued to employers. Notice to Produce documents are not viewed as Orders in the legislation. Two (2) Stop Work Orders were issued to employers during the project. These Orders were unrelated to Part 19. These Stop Work Orders related to OHS Code, Part 12, Section 189 requiring the securement of equipment and materials, and OHS Code, Part 5, Section 44 related to confined space Code of Practice. These two Stop Work Orders were issued to employers operating in the Steel Metal Fabrication industry. Two (2) Stop Use Orders were issued. These Orders were unrelated to Part 19. The two Stop Use Orders were issued under Section 11 of the OHS Act related to the unsafe use of tools, appliances, etc., and Section 12 of the OHS Regulation relating to equipment. These two Stop Use Orders were issued to employers operating in the Mobile Equipment Operations and Industrial Supply Stores industries. April 11,

6 Table 1: Orders Written OHS Code Part 19: Powered Mobile Equipment Part 19: Powered Mobile Equipment Total Orders Section 256 Operator Responsibilities 14 Section 257 Visual Inspection 20 Section 259 Pedestrian Traffic 7 Section 260 Inspection & Maintenance 24 Section 263 Unattended Equipment 1 Section 265 Windows and Windshields 2 Section 267 Warning Signal 3 Section 283 Load Chart 5 Section 284 Seat Belt 9 TOTALS 85 Eighty-five (85) Orders (approximately 40% of all Orders) were written under OHS Code Part 19: Powered Mobile Equipment. Of these Orders: o Section 260, pertaining to proper inspection and maintenance of equipment, accounted for approximately 29%. o Section 256, pertaining to proper training of an operator and operator responsibility to safely operate equipment, accounted for approximately 17%. o Section 257, requiring an operator to conduct visual inspection of surrounding area prior to operating the equipment, accounted for approximately 24 %. o Orders were also issued relating to pedestrian traffic, unattended equipment, windows and windshields, warning signals, load charts, and seat belts. Table 2: Other Orders Written Related to the Powered Mobile Equipment Project Area of OHS Regulation Total Orders OHS Regulation Section 12 Equipment 6 OHS Regulation Section 13 General Protection of Workers 8 OHS Regulation Section 15 Safety Training 5 OHS Code Part 2 Hazard Assessment 16 OHS Code Part 3 Specifications and Certifications 9 TOTALS 44 Fifteen (15) Orders were issued under the OHS Code Part 3 Specifications and certifications of equipment, and the OHS Regulation Section 12 relating to maintenance and use of equipment. Thirteen (13) Orders were issued under the OHS Regulation Sections 13 and 15 relating to general protection of workers and safety training. Sixteen (16) Orders were issued relating to hazard assessment in Part 2 of OHS Code. April 11,

7 Table 3: Breakdown of Orders Written Type of Order Number of Total Orders Percentage of Total Orders Powered Mobile Equipment Part 19 Orders (Table 1) 85 40% Powered Mobile Equipment Related Orders (Table 2) 44 20% Orders unrelated to Part % Total % 60% of the total Orders issued were related to the Powered Mobile Equipment. 40% of the total Orders issued were related to other observed violations during the inspection. 4.0 OHS FOCUSED INSPECTION PROJECTS Focused inspections projects are part of E&I s OHS operations and are designed to raise the profile of known workplace hazards, to promote a sustained increase in employers becoming self reliant in achieving compliance with the OHS Act, Regulations, and Code, and enforce these legislated occupational health and safety standards. Inspection results will be used to determine future inspection areas, frequency of inspections of individual workplaces, and to track the progress and trends related to the control of workplace hazards within specific industries. Next Steps OHS officers continue to conduct inspections to ensure OHS compliance with powered mobile equipment on an on-going basis. OHS will continue to implement focused inspection projects directed at industries where specific hazards are known to exist and where OHS observes non-compliance. Future OHS focused inspections planned for 2011 include: Young workers Residential construction April 11,